Archive: Press Release

Representative and Mrs. Tom Lantos Leaving Congress

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) wishes to recognize US Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA) with its “Profiles in Compassion” award for his uncompromising leadership on animal welfare issues throughout his 14 terms in the US Congress. As the founder and co-chair of Congressional Friends of Animals, he created a valuable forum to discuss and further legislative initiatives on behalf of animals.

During his long career, Representative Lantos and his wife Annette championed many animal welfare bills, including efforts to protect pets from sale to research laboratories, end the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and ensure a peaceful retirement for chimpanzees previously used in federally funded research.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Representative Lantos and Christopher Shays (R-CT) introduced the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, H.R. 3858, to address the fate of companion animals in the case of natural disasters requiring local authorities to adopt pet evacuation plans for future emergencies if their governments wanted to receive federal aid. The law was adopted in October 2006. Most recently, he spoke out against dog fighting, China’s cruel methods of dealing with its dog populations, and the Canadian seal hunt.

“Killing baby seals echoes the torture and cruel killing of so many other animals around the world,” Representative Lantos said on the House floor. “As co-chairman of the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, I will continue to bring the world’s attention to such practices wherever they exist.”

True to his word, Representative Lantos assisted AWI’s efforts to protect whales last spring by signing a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, instructing them to fight harder for whale conservation and against commercial whaling at the May 2007 International Whaling Commission meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.

Representative and Mrs. Lantos are perhaps best known for their dedicated work supporting human rights, but their efforts on behalf of non-human animals will always be remembered. In their home state of California, the Peninsula Humane Society has announced it will name its planned $15 million animal adoption facility the Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion. President Ken White explained that Lantos believes caring for those who cannot care for themselves is part of “what makes us the kind of society we want to be.”

AWI and many others will sincerely miss Representative and Mrs. Lantos’ presence on Capitol Hill. Not only were they true animal advocates, but they were personable to boot, with both husband and wife nearly always accompanied by their beloved dog Maxco making every effort to engage younger generations in the fight to end animal cruelty.

AWI regrets to announce the passing of Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA) who died February 11, 2008 after a battle with cancer. Chairman Lantos, born in Budapest, Hungary, was the only survivor of the Holocaust to serve in the US Congress. For 14 terms, Mr. Lantos was known for his staunch defense of human and animal rights among other important social issues. Our sincere condolences to Annette and the entire Lantos family.

American Veterinary Medical Association Hurting, Not Helping, Horses

Amid claims that animal welfare advocates are to blame for the steep increase in horses going to Mexico for slaughter, the Washington, DC-based Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today fired back. The group, which has been at the forefront of the effort to end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption abroad, pointed the finger of blame directly at the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) for its culpability in the suffering of American horses.

“From day one, AWI has worked to end the slaughter of American horses here and over the border. The AVMA, on the other hand, has lobbied Congress to block passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act,” said AWI’s deputy director of government and legal affairs, Chris Heyde.

Records show that AWI has a long history of working with Members of Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA), which would prohibit the slaughter of horses here for human consumption as well as their export for the same purpose. While the federal bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a landslide vote in 2006 it is pending on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, AWI successfully worked with legislators and activists in Texas and Illinois to close the country’s three remaining horse slaughter plants last year under state law.

“AWI actively worked in Texas and Illinois to close those plants. Citizens there wanted the plants gone and Congress had failed to pass a ban, so the states invoked their right to control what happens to horses within their own state lines. But the goal for all genuine equine advocates, of course, is passage of the federal bill. That’s why we’re taking off the gloves with the AVMA on this,” said Heyde.

Documents held by AWI show that the AVMA is part of a coalition founded by the companies that own the defunct domestic slaughterhouses which are now exporting horses to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. The coalition’s primary goal is to block passage of the AHSPA.

“It’s ironic that those screaming the loudest about the mass exports are actively working with the very same slaughterhouses that are shipping our horses to Mexico. How the AVMA can claim to be acting in the name of animal welfare is anyone’s guess,” said Heyde. “While they’re helping to send horses to Mexico for slaughter AWI is working to shut the trade down. We’re also promoting responsible horse ownership, combating unscrupulous breeding and working to ensure placement of horses in need through our leadership in the Homes for Horses Coalition. I think it’s pretty clear who has the best interest of the horses at heart, and it’s not the AVMA.”

Heroes’ Hayden Panettiere to Cheer for Whales in the Nation’s Capital

Actress Hayden Panettiere, who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet on NBC’s hit series Heroes, will lead a rally against a resumption of commercial whaling at 1 p.m. this Sunday, January 27, in Washington, DC’s Dupont Circle (event flyer). The event kicks off a whirlwind trip to the Nation’s Capital for Panettiere, who will later speak with policymakers and students to encourage increased whale protection.

Panettiere is a spokesperson for the Save the Whales Again! campaign, which is calling on the United States to stand up for whales at the International Whaling Commission and take diplomatic and economic action against whaling countries. After the rally, she will speak at Georgetown University. On Monday, she will meet with representatives from the embassies of Japan, Norway and Iceland to question their outdated whaling practices.

“Whales face increasing threats from climate change, ship strikes, entanglement in nets, and chemical and noise pollution, yet Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to kill them in increasing numbers,” Panettiere said. “I am looking forward to talking with officials who actually make and carry out our policies, as well as fellow young people who will be voting in the upcoming election—I want our voice to be heard.”

On Tuesday, Panettiere will speak at a 1 p.m. press conference hosted by House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee Chair Nick Rahall (D-WV). She will be joined by Rahall and Senator John Kerry (D-MA) in urging the US Government to reinstate its former leadership role protecting whales from commercial slaughter. An evening reception with Members of Congress and their staff is the final stop on her trip.

“Over 25,000 whales have been slaughtered for profit since the ban on commercial whaling was instituted. The United States is the current chair of the IWC and it must stand up to whaling countries and use its position to lead the world in conserving whales and their habitats,” said Susan Millward, director of marine animal programs at the Animal Welfare Institute, a co-founder of the Save the Whales Again! campaign.

Despite the public’s interest in protecting whales, US leadership on whale issues has significantly declined over the past five years. Most recently, the United States refused to join with 30 nations and the European Commission in a diplomatic protest against Japan’s Antarctic whaling program.

“Recent polls show that over 75 percent of registered voters oppose whaling, and over two thirds want our government to do something about it, yet to this point, little has been done to stop the increasing slaughter,” said Jeff Pantukhoff, president and founder of the Whaleman Foundation and executive director of the Save the Whales Again! campaign. “We need the United States to reflect the will of its people and lead the way in taking all necessary actions against Japan, Norway and Iceland until the killing stops.”

South Dakota Horse Slaughter Bill Defeated

The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) today praised the South Dakota Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee’s rejection of S.B. 170, a bill that would have pumped up to $1 million of state funds into the construction of a horse slaughter facility. AWI submitted testimony opposing the legislation, urging legislators to consider the environmental, fiscal and social impacts the establishment of a horse slaughtering facility would have on the state.

The organization also encouraged members of the public to state their opinion about this harmful legislation. A resulting flood of calls and emails into the State Capitol of Pierre from concerned citizens across the country likely influenced the bill’s demise. South Dakotans voiced their opposition, too; some residents traveled in sub-zero temperatures to testify before the committee in opposition to the bill.

“In light of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA), a hugely popular bill to ban horse slaughter that is currently before the US Congress, it would be fiscally foolhardy for South Dakota to enter into such a venture,” said Chris Heyde, AWI’s deputy director of government and legal affairs. “It would also be completely out of step with American values, which have resulted in the closure of all domestic horse slaughter plants.”

While some members of the committee may have objected to what they perceived as “outside interference” from concerned citizens calling from other states, residents of other states also have a right to care whether South Dakota establishes such a facility, Heyde explained. The overwhelming majority of horses slaughtered at such a plant would have come from other states, so the impact of S.B. 170 would have gone well beyond South Dakota’s state lines.

AWI continues to work with federal legislators to obtain passage of the AHSPA, introduced as S. 311 and H.R. 503 in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives, respectively. The non-partisan bill, which currently has 38 cosponsors in the Senate and 193 cosponsors in the House, will prohibit the domestic slaughter of horses for human consumption, as well as their export for the same purpose.

AWI Urges Comments on USDA’s “Naturally Raised”

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), US Department of Agriculture (USDA), is seeking comments on a proposed voluntary standard for a “naturally raised” marketing claim for meats. According to its Notice and Request for Comments for Docket AMS LS 07 0131; LS 07 16, “the livestock and meat supply chain, along with consumers could benefit from a uniform standard for the marketing of this type of product.”

The definition for “naturally raised” proposed by USDA is:

Livestock used for the production of meat and meat products have been raised entirely without growth promotants, antibiotics, and have never been fed mammalian or avian by-products. This information shall be contained on any label claim that an animal has been naturally raised.

Cathy Liss, President of the Animal Welfare Institute, asks consumers to urge the USDA to include animal welfare criteria in the standards. “We are seeking a better result. The definition as proposed contains no stipulations concerning the animals’ own welfare or how the animals live, but applies narrow criteria related only to feed or other substances administered to animals. While farmers who raise animals under high welfare conditions should be covered by this term, the industrial producers will seek a weak definition so they can profit by selling the products of cruelly raised animals labeled as ‘naturally raised.'”

According to the USDA, prohibiting use of antibiotics, growth promotants, and certain animal by-products are the main attributes consumers want for “naturally-raised” meat and meat products. However, many ranchers, farmers, and others testified in public meetings in 2006 and 2007 that the ability of animals to range freely, eat diets natural to their species, and engage in natural behaviors are essential aspects of a “naturally raised” claim.

Also, in July 2007, the independent Consumer Reports revealed that 83% of consumers polled regarding meat labels said a “natural” label should mean “it came from an animal raised in a natural environment.”

The Animal Welfare Institute asks consumers to urge the USDA to write a definition for “naturally raised” that:

  • requires farm animals, including poultry, to be raised in a manner that is consistent with the biology and natural behavior of the species;
  • disqualifies farms that use gestation crates, farrowing crates, battery cages, calf crates, slatted floors and liquefied manure, and other equipment or facilities typical of unnatural factory systems; and
  • requires that animals have free access to continuous range on fresh pasture or woodlands, or, in inclement weather, be able to move freely in comfortable housing and clean bedding until outdoor conditions improve.

Additional points that could be added include:

  • While it is appropriate to disallow routine administration of antibiotics to all animals via feed or water, individual animals that are sick should be able to receive therapeutic antibiotic treatment if needed. To deny them necessary veterinary care is inhumane.
  • All animals should be provided with free and continuous access to nutritionally complete food and clean water consistent with the animals’ natural diets (e.g., grass and hay for cattle
  • Crowding of animals should be prohibited.
  • Tail docking of pigs, beak trimming of chickens and turkeys and other mutilations necessitated by unnatural environments should be prohibited.
  • The use of hormones or other agents, including beta-agonists and ractopamine, to promote growth and increase production should be prohibited.
  • Early weaning, before the immune systems of the young are fully developed, should be prohibited.
  • Genetic selection for high growth rates and high rates of reproduction that reduce the animals’ ability to reproduce naturally and thrive in environments natural to its species should be prohibited. Examples include selection that makes natural birth difficult without human intervention (double muscled cattle) or makes normal reproduction impossible (conventionally bred turkeys).

The Animal Welfare Institute believes that a solid definition of “naturally raised” must be adopted by USDA to serve consumers, farmers and particularly the farm animals by differentiating the practices of farmers who address the physical and behavioral needs of their animals from the factory farms that don’t. To contact the Animal Welfare Institute, call (202) 337-2332.

The Homes for Horses Coalition Launches Resource-Rich Website

The Homes for Horses Coalition today launched http://www.homesforhorses.org. The Web site is a resource tool for equine rescue personnel, members of the media, and anyone interested in equine protection efforts.

“We’re excited about the launch of our website and what it offers to the rapidly growing body of equine welfare professionals. Our coalition has a great deal of expertise to share with others interested in real equine welfare, from lobbying Congress to end horse slaughter to providing high-quality care to horses in need. This should be a first point of reference for anyone interested in these issues,” said Liz Ross, federal policy advisor for the Animal Welfare Institute.

Visitors to the site will find information on a broad range of topics from the basics of operating an equine rescue facility to materials on ending the slaughter of American horses for human consumption abroad. The site will list equine welfare organizations that voluntarily comply with standards approved of by The Homes for Horses Coalition.

“Our cumulative expertise puts The Homes for Horses Coalition in a unique position to advocate for equines from a perspective that puts equine welfare above commercial interests. Now, through our Web site we have the opportunity to share our knowledge with a much larger audience,” said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for The Humane Society of the United States.

The Homes for Horses Coalition is dedicated to ending horse slaughter and other forms of equine abuse while promoting growth, collaboration and professionalism in the equine rescue and protection community. Founded in 2007, the coalition will hold its annual conference in Washington, DC on July 22, 2008.

IL House Driver’s Education and Safety Committee Sends Double Decker Ban to Floor for Vote

Today, the Illinois House Driver’s Education and Safety Committee unanimously approved (11-0) legislation that will outlaw the use of double deck trailers for the purpose of hauling horses in the State of Illinois. The bill, in response to several tragic and deadly accidents involving horses on double deck trailers, has been placed on the House calendar where it will await time for consideration.

A bill offered by the leading pro-horse slaughter advocate, Representative Jim Sacia, was also to be considered during today’s hearing, but he did not call it up for consideration. His bill is being offered as a vehicle to language that would overturn a ban against horse slaughter overwhelmingly passed by the Illinois General Assembly last year.

“Representative Sacia continues to be out of step with residents of Illinois and the entire country on this widely supported issue,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of Government and Legal Affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute. “His persistent attacks have nothing to do with animal welfare or reason. He appears to simply have a grudge against horses and their humane treatment.”

It is expected that Representative Sacia will offer his bill next week when the Committee reconvenes. In addition, pro-horse slaughter organizations such as the Farm Bureau are considering an amendment that would allow for the use of double deck trailers should one ever be designed to haul horses. No double deck trailers are currently designed to haul horses for numerous welfare and safety issues. To do so properly they would be too high for use on highways and extremely dangerous because of their height.

AWI encourages everyone to continue checking our website for updates on the Illinois legislation and our campaign to end horse slaughter, based out of Washington, DC. Be sure to bookmark this page.

Hawaiian Judge Rules Navy Sonar Harmful to Whales, Issues Injunction

As part of a suit filed in May 2007 by several conservation groups, an injunction was issued Friday by a Hawaii federal district judge over the US Navy’s use of active sonar that he recognized as harmful to whales. Judge David A. Ezra stated that the evidence presented by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and fellow co-plaintiffs was both “compelling” and “convincing.”

Granting the motion for preliminary injunctive relief, Judge Ezra said, “[T]here is little disagreement that MFA [mid-frequency active] sonar can cause injury, death, and behavioral alteration to these animals.” Further, he ruled that the Navy’s reliance on a noise level of 173 decibels, below which it claims harm to animals from its sonar will not occur, was “arbitrary and capricious,” an acknowledgment that even sonar noise at much lower intensity levels can harm and kill marine mammals.

“Whales have stranded and died at predicted noise levels of around 150 decibels 100 times less intense than the threshold set by the Navy,” said AWI President Cathy Liss. “Such a level is without scientific justification.”

The injunction now prevents the Navy from proceeding with its use of active sonar in an upcoming March exercise in Hawaiian waters until specific precautions prescribed by the judge are taken. After the exercise, Judge Ezra will review the results of the exercise to consider modification of these imposed safety measures.

The Navy’s mid-frequency active sonar has been linked to the mass stranding of marine mammals in Spain (2006), the Canary Islands (2004, 2002, and 2000), the Bahamas (2000), Madeira (2000), Greece (1996) and numerous other places. In July 2004, the Navy’s sonar was implicated in the embayment of 100 to 200 melon-headed whales in Hanalei Bay, Hawaii and a whale calf died.

The non-governmental organizations allege that the Navy is in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. They challenge the National Marine Fisheries Service, which regulates the Navy’s sonar use, with failure to comply with the Endangered Species Act. Copies of the judge’s order, which also include opinion on the merits of the suit, are available on request.

Additional co-plaintiffs in the suit, originally filed by Honolulu-based environmental law defender Earthjustice, are the Center for Biological Diversity, the Hawaiian Environmental Alliance (KAHEA), the Ocean Mammal Institute, and the Surfrider Foundation-Kauai Chapter.

The Washington, DC-based AWI, leader of the 1970s “Save the Whales” campaign, has worked for over 50 years to reduce the sum total of fear and pain inflicted on animals by humans.

Groups Say Human Oversight Necessary at US Slaughterhouses

Following a recent suggestion in Congress that the government should install video cameras in US slaughterhouses to ensure the humane and safe treatment of animals killed for human consumption, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and the Humane Farming Association (HFA) today call on legislators to reject any attempt by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use cameras in lieu of inspectors.

Recent undercover video footage obtained by an investigator from an animal protection organization revealed abhorrent acts of cruelty to livestock at the Westland/Hallmark Meat Packing Company in Chino, Calif. The footage showed downer cows being tortured prior to slaughter, raising both ethical and food safety issues.

For more than a decade, animal advocates have presented detailed reports and graphic video documentation from a number of slaughter facilities across the country to demonstrate this widespread problem. In the wake of the Hallmark case, which led to the biggest beef recall in US history, the USDA is now considering the installation of video cameras as a deterrent.

“Documentation has been obtained on videotape at slaughter plants because animal advocates were there in person recording what they saw. These people were able to move about the plants and rotate the cameras to catch the plant workers engaged in illegal activities,” said AWI President Cathy Liss. “Animals must be watched from the time the truck arrives and animals are unloaded, through the stunning and slaughter process, until the last animal on the vehicle is killed. Under USDA’s proposal, where will the cameras be positioned and who is going to watch all the footage?”

“Government-installed video cameras aren’t the answer,” said Gary Dahl, Colorado representative for the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals. “The law was specifically crafted to allow an inspector who is present and observes violations of the Humane Slaughter Act to stop the slaughter line on the spot. How on earth can this happen with a video camera?”

From 2001 forward, Congress has provided millions of additional funds to the USDA for humane slaughter enforcement. Additional monies were intended for the USDA to hire new in-plant employees to work full-time on Humane Slaughter Act enforcement only, but to date, none have been hired. When the Government Accountability Office issued a report in 2004 citing widespread animal welfare issues under the USDA’s watch, the report was ignored by the agency.

“Using cameras to give meat packers a ‘Good Slaughter Housekeeping Seal of Approval’ is just another publicity stunt by the USDA,” said Gail Eisnitz, an HFA senior investigator whose acclaimed 1997 book Slaughterhouse exposed a myriad of problems behind the closed doors of the US slaughter industry.

AWI and HFA are concerned with the lack of conviction to enforcement shown by the USDA; the agency must hire inspectors to work in plants full-time with the sole responsibility of enforcing the regulations for humane handling, stunning and slaughter of animals as mandated by the Humane Slaughter Act.

AWI’s Compassion Index Measures Legislators’ Humane Record; New Features Just Added

The Animal Welfare Institute today unveiled its revamped legislative action center, the Compassion Index (CI), located online at www.compassionindex.org. Now, in addition to learning how their elected officials rate on key animal protective legislation, visitors can send letters to Members of Congress, contact the media and more all directly from the website.

First launched in 2006, the CI is the first legislative resource to implement the real-time tracking of animal welfare measures. Bills currently listed on the CI include legislation to ban horse slaughter, strengthen penalties against dog-fighters, prohibit the sale of family pets to experimental laboratories, end the use of steel-jaw leghold traps on fur-bearing animals, and add animal cruelty to the national database of crimes tracked by federal law enforcement. To date, 14 of the 435 U.S. Representatives and four of the 100 U.S. Senators have achieved a perfect 100 percent on the CI.

The site archives data from past Congresses, allowing visitors to research their legislators’ past and present records and get a more comprehensive sense of their positions on animal protective measures. AWI encourages everyone to use this site as much as possible and reference their legislators’ CI rankings when contacting offices. The more aware legislators become of animal issues and constituents’ concerns about them, the more they will strive to be compassionate and achieve higher rankings on the CI.

Other organizations and individuals can add a CI search box to their own websites at www.compassionindex.org/sticker.htm, so that their visitors will have access to legislative information as well. AWI will continue to update this comprehensive advocacy tool with additional helpful features for constituents.

“The CI is a one-stop shop for proactive animal advocates,” said Chris Heyde, AWI’s deputy director of government and legal affairs. “Individuals and groups around the country should use this website to help improve how the US Congress responds to animal protection measures.”